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I am Praying for Milo

Feb 21, 2017

I just finished saying elsewhere that I have written three articles on the controversial conservative, homosexual firebrand Milo Yiannopoulos thus far, and I don’t intend on doing any more. OK, so I have had a change of heart. The main reason I write again is simply for a very Christian reason: I have been thinking a lot about the guy lately and praying for him a lot as well. And with new hard times hitting him in a big way, I feel even more constrained to keep praying for him.

You see, a video of his recently was posted online in which he seems to joke about having sex with minors, etc. He of course has since come out and strongly denied that he in any way supports paedophilia. But whatever the actual truth may be, the damage has already been done.

Just in the past day or so some really major repercussions have occurred. He was due to be a major speaker at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, to be held over the next four days in Washington D.C. But he has just been disinvited because of the controversy over the paedophilia remarks.

They were not impressed with his self-defence on this, and said: “We continue to believe that CPAC is a constructive forum for controversies and disagreements among conservatives, however there is no disagreement among our attendees on the evils of sexual abuse of children.”

And Simon & Schuster has just cancelled the publication of his new book, Dangerous. They tweeted: “After careful consideration, [Simon & Schuster] and its [Threshold Editions] have cancelled publication of Dangerous by Milo Yiannopoulos.”

You can no longer see his book on Amazon (I just looked), and what comes of the book is now a moot point. He did get a $250,000 advance payment for his memoirs from S&S. Whether he turns to another publisher or tries something else, I do not know. But that has gotta hurt as well.

So with CPAC disinviting Milo, and his new book deal falling through, I would imagine that these would be real hard times indeed for the guy. Thus I am praying that because of these and other things, he will be touched by God, see his need of Christ, and become a new person through faith in Christ. I want you to join with me in such a prayer.

I always think about such people who are so clever, so talented, so artistic, so gifted, and so on, who do not know the Lord. All these great gifts from God are not being used to the full until a person surrenders to Jesus Christ. Yes he is very sharp and articulate and quick-witted and funny. But more important than that is for him to bow the knee to the Lord of the Universe, and acknowledge where these giftings have come from, and use them for Christ and the Kingdom.

Now, I am a Protestant and I generally write with other Protestants in mind. But I get surprised now and then when Catholics take umbrage at what I say. For example, on the social media I posted about the need to pray for Milo and his salvation.

One concerned Catholic said that Milo considers himself to be Catholic, that she quite likes him, and that is all there is to it. I did reply with the following words:

It has always been my policy here not to allow Cath-Prot bashes. Having said that (and this is after all my page), it does not mean a hill of beans if one is a Protestant, a Catholic, an Orthodox, or whatever. As the old saying goes, being in a church no more makes you a Christian than being in a garage makes you a car. Real faith is far more than some verbal assent.
What does matter is having a saving relationship with Jesus Christ through faith and repentance based on the finished work of Christ. Jesus said we could assess people by their fruit, and genuine fruit of a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ is not something I find in the foul-mouthed, arrogant homosexual Milo. But I do care about him greatly and will keep praying for him that he does indeed find new life in Christ.

So it is not my intent to upset Catholics here, but there is nothing amiss at all in praying for Milo. Sure, at the end of the day, only God fully knows the human heart, and only he knows for sure if a person is genuinely a child of God. But I will keep praying that God does a deep work in his life.

Having said all that, since we are also on the broader topic of Milo, homosexuality, conservatism and the like, let me briefly draw your attention to three new articles on all this. I will quote from a bit of each.

It was an error for CPAC to invite Milo to keynote, despite his rhetorical brilliance and his ability to dismantle and expose today’s ridiculous PC extremes.
It’s one thing for Milo to speak on college campuses and other settings, where he can also be himself, including using his full range of profanity, vulgarity, and gay flaunting. It’s another thing for CPAC to celebrate an out and proud homosexual as one of its champions (after all, that’s part of being a keynote speaker at a conference of this kind; you are invited because of your leadership and your voice).
I gladly interviewed Milo on my radio show and would gladly do so again, but I would not invite him to be the graduation speaker at my organization’s school of ministry. And while CPAC is a political organization rather than a religious one, if it fails to hold the line on gay activism, it will cease to be truly conservative.

As far as Milo is concerned, he’s obviously a disturbed person with a troubled past. Part of his child abuse advocacy stems from him attempting to rationalize his own abuse. I pray he gets the help he needs. But in the meantime, he is not equipped nor qualified to be a spokesman for the conservative cause. He never was. He was always a spokesman for his own cause, his own cult, and even before his foray into pederasty-promoting, his cult never had very much to do with anything resembling conservatism. Sure, he believes in free speech, I guess, but that’s the easy part. The more crucial point is what we do with that speech. As conservatives, our goal is to use our free speech to promote the cause of truth — especially moral truth. Milo was never an effective advocate in that regard, and never really tried to be.
I hope this whole thing will serve as a lesson for the sorts of “conservatives” who easily fall into cults of personalities. Conservatism is a set of principles, not a stable of personalities. Or, at least, it used to be.

Let’s put this plainly: If Milo’s the poster boy for free speech, then free speech will lose. He’s the perfect foil for social-justice warriors, a living symbol of everything they fight against. His very existence and prominence feed the deception that modern political correctness is the firewall against the worst forms of bigotry.
I’ve spent a career defending free speech in court, and I’ve never defended a “conservative” like Milo. His isn’t the true face of the battle for American free-speech rights. That face belongs to Barronelle Stutzman, the florist in Washington whom the Left is trying to financially ruin because she refused to use her artistic talents to celebrate a gay marriage. It belongs to Kelvin Cochran, the Atlanta fire chief who was fired for publishing and sharing with a few colleagues a book he wrote that expressed orthodox Christian views of sex and marriage.
Stutzman and Cochran demonstrate that intolerance and censorship strike not just at people on the fringe – people like Milo – but rather at the best and most reasonable citizens of these United States. They’re proof that social-justice warriors seek not equality and inclusion but control and domination.
Milo has the same free-speech rights as any other American. He can and should be able to troll to his heart’s content without fear of government censorship or private riot. But by elevating him even higher, CPAC would have made a serious mistake. CPAC’s invitation told the world that supporting conservative free speech means supporting Milo. If there’s a more effective way to vindicate the social-justice Left, I can’t imagine it.

All three are quite good articles. In the meantime, with all these heavy duty things befalling Milo at the moment, I am praying that he will somehow have an encounter with the living God. I pray that he sees his need of a Saviour, repents, and becomes a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Please join with me in that prayer.

Milo is a survivor of child sexual abuse and has need of our prayers. This is what he said –

I am a gay man, and a child abuse victim.
I would like to restate my utter disgust at adults who sexually abuse minors. I am horrified by pedophilia and I have devoted large portions of my career as a journalist to exposing child abusers. I’ve outed three of them, in fact — three more than most of my critics. And I’ve repeatedly expressed disgust at pedophilia in my feature and opinion writing. My professional record is very clear.
But I do understand that these videos, even though some of them are edited deceptively, paint a different picture.
I’m partly to blame. My own experiences as a victim led me to believe I could say anything I wanted to on this subject, no matter how outrageous. But I understand that my usual blend of British sarcasm, provocation and gallows humor might have come across as flippancy, a lack of care for other victims or, worse, “advocacy.” I deeply regret that. People deal with things from their past in different ways.
As to some of the specific claims being made, sometimes things tumble out of your mouth on these long, late-night live-streams, when everyone is spit-balling, that are incompletely expressed or not what you intended. Nonetheless, I’ve reviewed the tapes that appeared last night in their proper full context and I don’t believe they say what is being reported.
I do not advocate for illegal behavior. I explicitly say on the tapes that I think the current age of consent is “about right.”
I do not believe sex with 13-year-olds is okay. When I mentioned the number 13, I was talking about the age I lost my own virginity.
I shouldn’t have used the word “boy” — which gay men often do to describe young men of consenting age — instead of “young man.” That was an error.
I am certainly guilty of imprecise language, which I regret.
Anyone who suggests I turn a blind eye to illegal activity or to the abuse of minors is unequivocally wrong. I am implacably opposed to the normalization of pedophilia and I will continue to report and speak accordingly.
Previous statement: www.facebook.com/myiannopoulos/posts/851263248344905

One. It seems some Christians and conservatives absolutely love Milo, and some absolutely hate him. So when I seek neither to defend him nor demonise him, I get slammed from both sides! Oh well, you just can’t win sometimes. Good thing I learned long ago that the main thing is to try to please God, and not worry as much about what people think!

Two, it would be far more accurate to say, He is not Christian and he is a gay! But I am not interested in going to war over this. What is far more important is that we pray for him as much as we either defend him or attack him. OK?

I believe he is gay and not a Christian. While Yiannopoulos is openly gay, he has stated that gay rights are detrimental to humanity, and that gay men should “get back in the closet”. He has described being gay as “aberrant” and “a lifestyle choice guaranteed to bring [gay people] pain and unhappiness” He says he is Catholic but his choices don’t seem Christian.

Your article touched my heart because of your compassion towards Milo. I also read the full article that Dr. Brown wrote and liked what I read. Even though I do not agree with his gay lifestyle, I often listen to him and usually agree with his views. I think that his British humor got him into trouble. I say think because I have not yet heard what he said (will do it though) but I have read his apologies. I will definitely be praying for Milo, thank you Muhlenberg 🙂

So well stated, Bill. What a great balance of truth and compassion and solid collection of quotes. In spite of his vulgarity, Milo is a wit to be reckoned with, which places him on the forefront of the libertarian free speech movement. I agree with DF but the folks he mentions don’t have the eloquence/wit to fully articulate the importance and nuances of fighting the inquisitional left. Firebrands like Milo and Ben S seem to have that role better understood. I always chuckle (a little) when the left calls a Jewish gay guy, a white supremacist. He is very adroit at uncovering their inconsistencies and real raison d’être. But your call to prayer is so essential and we all need to be reminded that our fight is not merely a fight in what can be seen and observed but in what is not visible to the human eye, nor made of flesh and blood.

The other aspect is that the left created Milo as we understand it. Let’s be honest here, in my day (when the earth was still cooling if he talked to my kids), if someone came on campus to preach free speech, it would have been only worth going to if such a person was like a SCOTUS or some other important personage. The fact that Milo is relevant and of interest to hear is frankly a serious indictment on our university culture and academia. And what others fail to see is what breeds in that culture eventually affects American society and corporate culture.

I’ve never heard of this person but can deduce from all the foregoing that he greatly needs our prayers so I’m with you Bill. I can’t help wondering what sort of “catholic” the lady is who doesn’t believe in intercessory prayer for the conversion and salvation of sinners. After adoration, praise and thanksgiving it comes pretty high on the list of simple ways to pray . Jesus died for all of us ,including our eleventh hour brothers and sisters. For some of them their conversion may be waiting only for our prayers. What value our prayers may have in the Divine economy and the bringing in of God’s Kingdom is a mystery known only to Him but we can be absolutely certain that our prayers matter. In case it isn’t obvious — I’m a Catholic.

I’ve been praying for Milo for several weeks when he really began to appear more in my news feed. Something struck me about him. He’s got an underlying tenderness disguised by that razor-sharp wit and intelligence. In an odd way he seems to have become some sort of bridge in the gap between the LGBT and Christian community. What sort of bridge, I can’t tell yet. All I know is my heart goes out to him. He simultaneously flaunts and abhors his sin. He’s tormented and yet precious to God. When he gets saved (note I said ‘when’)… it’s going to be a radical redemption.

I just stumbled across this sort of by accident, while looking up stuff on Milo. It’s nice to find another writer who’s like-minded about him.

I do think there’s some Cath-Prot friction at work here, at least between conservative Protestants and progressive Catholics. (However, I’ve locked horns with at least one quite bullish conservative Catholic on this too.) Reading between the lines I’ve become convinced Milo has found some loosely “Catholic” community that is essentially allowing him to be comfy and complacent where he is right now. Maybe even a church where (God forbid) he’s been served communion, though I hope he would have the instinct to refuse it. He’s gotten lots of mileage in his Q&A’s out of this notion that only Catholics allow people to be “messy and complicated” in the church. Translation: “Catholics don’t bug me about getting my sh*t together. They’re my favorites!” Now that’s grossly unfair to those Catholics who would bug him to do just that if they had a private audience with him, but like I said, I fear the people who have his ear right now are telling him to take all the time he likes. There’s a woman blogger he’s been re-posting who’s Catholic and practically hero-worships him. Very unhealthy. Very co-dependent stuff.

I’m as enamored as anyone of gifted people, and there’s no denying gay men have their peculiar brand of mystique. Interestingly I’ve encountered this in the context of (of all things) southern gospel music. There was a gifted writer who grew up Southern Baptist, grew up on gospel music, then came out as gay and went on to become a professor. He came back and started blogging anonymously about the music, often snarkily, often critically, but sometimes sincerely. At the time I was quite active in blogging and promoting gospel music myself, and I frequently wasted time clashing with this blogger’s band of trolls (he had a little cult following not unlike Milo’s). Simultaneously, I got the distinct sense that a lot of good folks in the southern gospel community were laughing him off and essentially handling him with kid gloves, even while his minions spread the worst kind of gossip, slander and filth in the comments sections. I think it’s the same reason why I see even some alleged “tough-guy” Catholics giving Milo the kid-glove treatment now: When Christians see sinners, particularly of the gay variety, who are gifted and Christ-haunted to some extent and who occasionally come out with something true and sincere, they can allow themselves to be so overcome with a bottomless up-welling of compassion that they don’t pause and consider carefully what such people are responsible for.

Milo has said terrible things, and his followers have done terrible things while he did nothing. I’m not even scratching the surface of the new tapes that were just unearthed, so much more could be said on those alone. However, like you, my thoughts follow him, and I sincerely hope for his salvation.

You’re welcome. As a final note, I for one firmly believe it would do his soul possibly an eternal good for him to lose his platform altogether and become a Walmart greeter. The more fame he’s gotten, the more hardened and corrupted he’s become. He fully expects himself to rise phoenix-like from the ashes of all this, and perhaps he will, people don’t have very long memories these days. But to my mind that’s unfortunate. It needs to be Milo and God and nothing else in between right now.

Esther, your comments are remarkable and heartening. I agree with you and laughed out loud about the Walmart greeter thing. It’s a humble, but noble profession. I think you must be right about a “sect” of Catholics bending his ear and stroking his ego. He absolutely knows he is a sinner and he is intentionally choosing to do it. And…arguing with minions is tantamount to being a wounded cricket swarmed by ants. I have an acquaintance, raised in the evangelical/baptist tradition, she’s a professor and fancies herself a writer although she is the only one publishing her work. Her theology is about 10% left of center and she has cultivated a community of young women who look up to her and her brand of all-inclusive (im ok, you’re ok) “Christianity”… of course Christianity should accept all, all who are repentant and want their brothers and sisters in Christ to walk that path with them, living and admonishing one another. I have tried on occasion to gently question and call out her political theology, only to be surrounded and pounced upon by her hippie gaggle of girls. It’s not worth it. So I work and pray, work and pray.

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